Oaklin Millie born July 27th at 9:05 at night.

I’m so thankful I was able to experience a birth like this one. I had two very different previous births and through the entire pregnancy I found myself living in a lot of fear. I constantly gave it to God and included my inner circle to pray for my birth and the health of this baby girl I was so eager to meet. The previous pregnancy with Larkin, I was very sick- not just the morning sickness but had a lingering cold, then bronchitis and sinus infections until the day I gave birth. I was stuck in bed for a lot of my last pregnancy and my birth experience was not one that I could say I “loved”. To understand Oaklin’s birth story, I just want to give you the back story of Larkin’s. She was born in the end of January and my midwives were over worked from all the births that happened that week. When I got to the hospital, my entire team was either full or at home sleeping because they were super sleep deprived. So I was put with a completely different team from a completely different location (not even from the same clinic where I would have seen other team members in passing). I didn’t want students… I ended up having 3. My birthing room was small, crowded with the midwife and three students, loud (they weren’t quiet) and I felt like I was just a patient, just a job they had to do instead of a relationship and something really beautiful they got to be a part of. After giving birth I had a lot of bleeding (almost needed a blood transfusion) and I felt like my team was just going through the motions of procedures and protocols.

So when I found out I was pregnant for the third time, I was nervous and fearful that I would have a very similar experience with delivery and afterbirth. So we prayed. We asked others to pray alongside us and for fear not to rob us of our joy over this baby. I educated myself and found that the more I knew, the more I felt comfortable.

On a friday night, I had a lot of cramping. I was already 5cm dilated but not afaced. Stretch and sweeps weren’t “working” and I was advised to just wait it out. My due date came and went and I was a week over due. That friday night I was cramping and leaking… a little. I thought nothing of it and chalked it up to being my cervix ripening and producing a bit of discharge. I had a horrible sleep and was in discomfort (but I was also overdue so isn’t everyone uncomfortable?? LOL). The next morning after not sleeping much, my mother-in-law said I’ll come pick you and the kids up and you come lay down here while the kids play. So before I went to sleep I called my midwife and updated her. After I woke up from my nap, my midwife called me back and said she would come see me and check on me. She tried to break my water while checking me. At this point, she said, she’d be more comfortable if Nick would come home from work and for us to go to the hospital and meet her there. So Nick picked me up and we went out for lunch, went to the mall to walk around to get things “moving” and I even got a mini makeover at Sephora (what a joke! ha). We got to the hospital around 3:00and she tried a few times to break my water… again.

“Why won’t it break?? I don’t get it, I’ve never had this much trouble breaking someone’s water” and then she paused. “Wait. Josie. Is it possible that your water could have broke already?!”.

“Well… I did have that leaking??”

“I think that was it. It must have been it. Oh my goodness. Okay wait right here” she said as my legs were elevated and open.

Another midwife came in to evaluate and said okay so here’s the plan. It’s been less then 24 hours since your water broke so you’re safe, baby is safe, but it’s time to have the baby. Get dressed and go for a walk and let’s get her out.

Nick and I walked the BEAUTIFUL Markham Stouffville Hospital and without getting that far I started leaking fluid and cramping a lot. I turned back around and made my way to the midwifery unit. By the time we got back and got into my room I was having some contractions. They said to continue to walk for the contractions to pick up, so Nick and I walked around the unit and just did giant loops. So here’s what’s truly incredible… God heard my prayers and the prayers and petitions on my behalf during the nine months of growing Oaklin! This birth was starkly different then my last two. Unlike my experience with a very crowded delivery room and ward the night Larkin was born, there was not ONE SINGLE other woman giving birth in the entire midwifery unit!!!! Like, what?! I also had one of my favourite midwives who delivered my first born almost three years prior. So I walked around the unit just Nick and I holding hands in between some hard contractions. I read the inspirational quotes on the walls of the hallways… “our bodies were made for this”. Yes, God you created my body to bring this baby earth side and you will get me through this. The contractions were getting so strong I could barely catch a breathe between the next set.

My midwife came to me and asked, “since literally every room is available, would you like to try using the birthing tub?”.

“I don’t know… can I??” I always wanted to incorporate water into my birth, but never thought I could do a water birth.

“I know you can”. She reassured me and in that moment I knew it too.

So she set it up and I got in and immediately my pain level went from an 8 to a 6. I found one position which was a squat while leaning forward and I couldn’t move from there; anything else was uncomfortable. I laboured in the water for an hour when my contractions were at an all time high and my pain was a solid 10+. I turned to Nick and said I can’t do this!

“Just ten more minutes! You got this babe!” I remember in the moment thinking that sounded like forever and now I laugh because just three minutes later she was born and I tease Nick where he came up with that random ten minutes!

I remember asking the midwives, “How will I know when to push?!”. I had epidurals with my last two so they always had to tell me when to push.

“You’ll just know, trust me”. And literally she finished the sentence and I started to bare down instinctively and push. Although I was in so much pain, I felt so comfortable and powerful. A feeling I can’t explain. A few pushes later and the midwife yelled she saw the head… one more push and she said “catch her!!!!”. We never talked about who was catching the baby when we decided on a water birth! I couldn’t reach her from the front of me and my midwife almost fell/jumped into the pool to grab her! She was so quiet. She didn’t cry. I held her close to my face and felt her warmth on my cheek.

The midwives checked her and I lay on the bed to be checked myself and to deliver the placenta. When I did deliver I heard the midwife literally gasp. Then she took out her cell phone and took a picture in shock. She explained to me that I had Velamentous Cord Insertion that went undetected through the pregnancy. Thank God he had protected me and Oaklin through the entire pregnancy and while they were trying to break my water. There could have been serious complications and a chance both Oaklin and I might not be here today if it had been ruptured. This time I did have a lot of bleeding again and I was on bed rest for a week after giving birth. BUT it was still the most amazing experience I’ve ever had. We chose to name her Oaklin meaning strong and Millie meaning gentle strength.

As we left the MS Hospital after spending the night in the same, spacious room I delivered in, we noticed a quote on the wall “From tiny acorns grow mighty oaks”.